


Afterward

by AStudyInGrace



Series: the works [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games), Destiny 2 - Fandom
Genre: Drinking & Talking, Kai doesn't really talk to the vanguards much outside of missions, Making Friends, kinda???, so heres this garbage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 14:26:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AStudyInGrace/pseuds/AStudyInGrace
Summary: casual drinking and holding conversation wasn't something she really expected





	Afterward

**Author's Note:**

> This is honestly just a character study for the most part. I saw this thing on tumblr about guardians and bars and this kinda just happened. It's based off of my hunter, Kai, who's a sarcastic little shit.
> 
> I left her name out just in case anyone wanted to read this as a "Self Insert" sorta thing.
> 
> I also kinda like to think she keeps to herself in a way? She doesn't really talk to any of the Vanguard outside of missions, so this is probably the first "real" conversation she has Cayde.

In the Last City, a little ways away from the Tower and just past one of the small ramen shops, sits one of her most favorite hangouts. It’s a cozy little bar, comfortably tucked back into a dimly lit alleyway and open to all of those seeking somewhere to wind down for the night. The string lights hanging loosely from the apartments above and the soft, steady rhythm of Southern Blues are what continue to draw her in.

It’s no wonder that she finds herself there after one of her most recent missions, sitting at the bar with a dull ache in her shoulders and three fingers of aged whiskey in front of her. Her thought process is beginning to slow and distance itself from the tiring events of the week and she tosses her drink back with no hesitation, the distant chatter of fellow guardians and civilians a calming contrast to the music thats playing in the background.

“Rough week, guardian?” a quiet voice makes it’s way to her ears, and she glances up to see the bartender refilling her glass.

She lets out a chuckle and shakes her head, using a swizzle stick to gently stir her drink. “Mmm, just some suspicious Vex activity on IO. Nothing more fun than getting into it with a bunch of trigger-happy robots, ya know?”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’m sure Sloane is gonna need some help with hive rituals on Titan at some point,” Cayde makes his presence known, dropping onto one of the barstools next to her with a soft ‘ _thump_ ’. The bartender greets him with a smile and Cayde shoots the retired guardian behind the counter a wink before ordering his “ _usual_ ”.

The bartender nods and walks away to get started on Cayde’s drink, whipping up some green concoction that barely looks appetizing. She brings her own glass to her lips and wonders if Exo’s can even get drunk like Humans and the Awoken do, or if Cayde is just here purely for the buzz of life outside the Tower.

_Speaking of which.._

She brings her drink away from her lips without even taking a sip and glances at the Vanguard, staring at him for a moment before speaking up. “Aren’t you supposed to be back at the Tower?”

Cayde scoffs and shakes his head, looking back at her with what she would assume was supposed to be a sardonic facial expression. “ _Hunter_ ,” he says, his voice low and chastising, “I don’t think you understand how _bad_ my cabin fever is.”

She hums in understanding, bringing her glass back to her lips and taking a few long sips, finishing off her drink. She doesn’t even have to slide the empty glass forward in request for a refill because the bartender is already back and handing Cayde this vibrant green drink that almost looks dangerous, before taking her glass and refilling it with another three fingers of whiskey. She mutters her thanks to the bartender with a smile.

“How was your mission on IO?” Cayde asks, his voice low and just barely audible over the low hush of the bar music and it’s patrons.

It takes a moment for her thought process to backtrack through the haze of the alcohol and bring back the events of the day. It was a simple mission, go to IO and prevent Vex from opening another one of their portals and creating another time warp. For the most part she handled it quickly, until the Taken decided to butt in and pick a fight with both the Vex and herself. And if there’s anything she hates more than the Vex and the Cabal, it’s the Taken. The way they creep toward her slowly with their twitching bodies and their beady eyes makes her skin crawl.

She remembers getting caught up in the crossfire a few times and being taken by surprise while trying defeat one enemy and having the other sneak up behind her. At one point she remembers activating her super in the middle of the conundrum, her arc staff crackling with energy as she gripped it tightly and took stance, only to be taken out by a too-close Hydra that wasn’t taking any chances.

When she’d been revived the Vex were still shooting at her, until she’d finally had enough and tossed one of her stun grenades before letting a spray of bullets rain onto her enemies until they were no more.

The memory fades back to the present and she lets out a sigh, resting her elbow on the bar top and her head in her palm. “It was fine. Got knocked on my ass a few times, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Blacked out once, I think, but what can I say? Those Vex are persistent.”

She runs her fingers down the side of her glass, the cold condensation a calming sensation on her warm skin, and when she glances at her Vanguard, he’s already staring at her. His usually bright, blue optics are dim in the low-light of the bar, and he’s looking at her with an expression she can’t quite place.

“You should be more careful, ya know.” Cayde shakes his head in mock disappointment before finally raising his own glass to his mouth and taking a sip. She watches as the soft green glow of his drink disappears into his mouth and she wonders where it goes, or how he’s not shorting out at the moment. She knows very little about Exo anatomy, but she does know they’re mechanical beings and there’s numerous wires inside of them that allow them to function. She continues to eye him with that ebbing nab of curiosity, and scoffs in late reaction to his comment. He looks at her again, this time with one of his metal eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, yeah,” she drums her fingers against her glass as a distraction instead, now, too filled with pride to be caught staring.

Since the Red War, every guardian has been on their toes, attached to their ghosts with a newfound fear of losing them. She can’t blame them. The feeling of having her light - the very reason for her existence - ripped from her being is something she’ll never be able to forget. The loss she felt when her ghost was kicked over the edge of the tower wall was enough to split her world in two, the reality of the dire situation at hand shaking her to her core. And when she stumbled through The Last City, her ribs aching and every breath she took rattling her in her chest, she couldn’t help but choke on her fear.

She was going to die alone.

And yet here she is, shoulder to shoulder with the infamous Cayde-6, downing drinks like they’re best friends.

“ _So_ ,” Cayde changes the subject, opting for something less stressful and more lighthearted, “You come here often?”

She huffs and knocks back the remainder of her abandoned drink, her skin abuzz with the gentle warmth of the alcohol flowing through her. She’s just floating on the brink of being comfortably buzzed and nearly drunk.

“Yeah, well, someone’s gotta take your place and frequent all these late night hideouts. Ya know, since you’re not supposed to leave the Tower and such,” she remarks sarcastically. She turns her head and catches him staring at her. He looks like he’s trying to figure her out, and with that she orders them another round of drinks.

“Man, you really must be one of mine,” He remarks with raised eyebrows, and she knows that if he had the ability to have a shit-eating grin on his face..

Well, he’d _definitely_ be owning one right now.

She rolls her eyes and tells him to shut up.

**Author's Note:**

> Wanna get to know my OC? Wanna talk Destiny 2 shit??  
> Find me on tumblr @a-study-in-grace (main) and @a-study-in-ghosts (destiny blog)


End file.
